Keeping the Unsubscribe Experience Positive

I hate it when organizations make it difficult for me to unsubscribe. Sometimes it takes a week for messages to stop (typically with commerical businesses). Sometimes they require me to click through on a confirmation email or worse, email them with “unsubscribe” in the subject line (never works).  Regardless, by the time the emails are done, I’m REALLY done.

It doesn’t matter how well you execute your email communications: from time to time people are going to opt-out.  Your messages can always be timely, relevant and personal, but users may not want them anymore.  Assuming it has nothing to do with your organization (how could it?), sometimes it is important to just help them move on.  But it can be done in a positive, and possibly useful way.

ReturnPath recently released a study “Keeping the Subscriber Experience Positive After ‘Unsubscribe Me.’” Although geared towards business, I think the recommendations apply very well to all organizations that communicate with their constituents via email (if you don’t, you should – get in touch and we’ll help you):

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